Last Sunday saw one of the most hotly contested GT1 Championship battles of the 2005 Le Mans Endurance Series, but a Care Racing supported, Prodrive-engined Ferrari 550 Maranello was always going to win the GT1 class. It was BMS Scuderia Italia, running their last race with a Ferrari 550, who proved what a winning team they are by not only taking first and second in the race, but also first and second in the Drivers' and Teams' points tables. 

Christian Pescatori, Michele Bartyan and Toni Seiler drove a fast and faultless race to take the victory and, by virtue of the fact that they have had two race wins this year, also take the Championship title. Matteo Cressoni finished the season with the same number of points, but only one victory, so is classified second. The dreadful weather conditions affected everyone's race and, ultimately the end result. Both the Czech Menx car and the Cirtek-managed Convers entry suffered from tyre problems, and the torrential rain caused both cars to have spins off the track at various times during the race. MenX were unlucky to experience their spin during the worst of the 6-hour wet race, just ten minutes before the chequered flag, and lost several laps and third place in class in the process. Convers' fourth place finish in the race was enough to give them 3rd in the Championship and the right to a guaranteed invitation to take part at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year.

BMS Team Manager, Tiziano Minuti, who has guided the Brescia based team to two FIA GT titles as well as the 2005 LMES one, said after the race: "At the beginning of the season we considered this championship very good for us, after our wins in the FIA GT over the last two years. We met hard competition.
 

"The Championship went down to the last race and this situation is fantastic for motorsport. I am very satisfied that it is BMS Scuderia Italia who has won the Championship. The drivers, the team and all the guys have all done a fantastic job, as well as our partner Pirelli who have done so much hard work this year. Care Racing has had a very good relationship with BMS now for four years and we have won four Championships with the Ferrari 550 [2 x FIA GT, 1 x LMES, 1 x Italian GT).  This is our last race with the Ferrari and from next year we hope to begin a new era, winning with the Aston Martins as we have won with the Ferrari 550. We will maintain our link with our same partners in Pirelli and our British friends at Prodrive. I firmly believe that motorsport - apart from classic races, such as the one won today by Signor Lucchini and Mr Dor - should be about the future and not looking back. We can't wait for next year!"

LMES Istanbul 1000kms, GT1 Results: 1 51 Bartyan/ Pescatori/Seiler BMS Ferrari 550 Maranello 161 laps; 2 52 Babini/Cressoni/Ramos BMS Ferrari 550 Maranello -1 lap; 3 67 Pergl/Kox/Lamy MenX Ferrari 550 Maranello -3 laps; 4 61 Bouchut/Turner/Vasiliev Convers Ferrari 550 Maranello -3 laps; 5 68 Kutemann/Gosse/Daoudi Ferrari 575 -15 laps; 6 57 Sommereau/Papolla/Wasover Chrysler Viper -26 laps

by Fiona Miller